Lot 915: Blanche Virginia Blanchard (American/Louisiana,

Blanche Virginia Blanchard (American/Louisiana, 1866-1959)., "Hunter in the Swamp", oil on poplar wood panel, signed and dated "1887" lower left, 4 1/2 in. x 9 1/2 in., in a period giltwood frame.

Note: A native New Orleanian, Blanchard worked locally as a sketch artist from 1891-1899 During that time she studied at the Academy of the Daughters of Charity in Emmetsburg, MD, where she admired the work of William Aiken Walker. After moving to Washington, D.C., in 1888, she studied at the Corcoran Gallery under E.F. Andrews (1835-1915). There Blanchard caught the eye of Grover Cleveland and subsequently painted his portrait for the White House. Reference: Martin and Margaret Wiesendanger, 19th Century Louisiana Painters and Paintings from the Collection of W.E.Groves (Gretna, Louisiana, 1971) pp. 14-15